Federal Judge Rules Pentagon’s Anthropic Label Unlawful

A federal judge ruled on Thursday that the Pentagon's classification of AI company Anthropic as a 'supply chain risk' was unlawful. Judge Rita Lin stated that the military's actions were retaliation against the company for its criticism of the government's views on AI use. The ruling requires the Pentagon to remove the designation, which had previously blocked any contracts with Anthropic.

Key Details

The conflict began earlier this year when Anthropic refused to let the military use its Claude AI model for autonomous weapons or mass surveillance. Anthropic argued that its models were not reliable for these purposes. In response, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled the company a supply chain risk, a label usually given to companies linked to foreign adversaries. This unusual move prevented the company from military contracts and was seen as an attempt to silence dissent.

In her 59-page ruling, Lin stated that the Pentagon's reasons for the label were not enough. She noted, "The empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics." The judge also pointed out that Anthropic was denied due process, violating its Fifth Amendment rights. Anthropic filed a lawsuit in March, claiming the Pentagon's actions violated its First Amendment rights by retaliating against its free speech.

Background

Anthropic welcomed the ruling and stated it remains committed to working with the government to use AI technology for national security. The company indicated that the Pentagon's actions could have led to significant financial losses and damage to its reputation.

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Based on reporting by: edition.cnn.com, us.cnn.com